Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/773724
A form factor of the knives manufactured by the Swedish Morakniv has been a subject of just few changes over the years (one of the revolutionary step was introduction of plastics in the 1950s). With regard to this, you may be tempted to compare it with the French Opinel knives brand – which are very simple, traditional knives, based on the modification of single design. However, whereas Opinel could be place in an idyllic image of the Alpine landscapes and rustic cottages, boards with the French cheese and barrels of red wine, the Mora knives, at the first glace, are rather associated with the tools stained with paint, left on the window sill by the renovation team in your house. Nevertheless, it does not mean that they do not have their own legend. In the contemporary models with a plastic or rubber handle it is significantly more difficult to discern sources of this, and not the other form, although the Mora Classic, which has been produced until now with a simple, birchwood grip, explicitly indicates the references to a traditional Finish puukko. These knives, used for the centuries by the people who live in the forest of Northern lands, were a bedrock for Mora knives. A narrow blade with a low grind that goes directly into the cutting edge (scandi) and a tang hidden in the round handle is a quintessence of the Scandinavian knife tradition. The Mora – regardless whether in the classic, or modern form – is just a tried & tested, jolly nice Finn. MORA BUSHCRAFT SURVIVAL The Bushcraft Survival is – as the name implies – a model for those who love spending time in the forest and putting all sorts of difficulties in their way of life. This, what differs it from the others, is a scabbard equipped with a fire starter and a small sharpener. At the first moment, it may rise certain amusement, but it is a nice addition, integrated so skillfully and aesthetically that it does not make an impression of a trashy kit of a Rambo- kid. I have had an opportunity to use both different versions of this knife – black with carbon steel blade and orange with stainless one. The blade of the knife does not surprise in any way. Similarly as in the most of the models, it is a narrow clip point with a Scandinavian grind and an edge which begins directly at the handle. A lack of any ricasso or choil does not bother anyway, and enables to use an entire length of the blade for cutting. The black version has been made of 58–60 HRC C100 steel and coated with Tri-Bond. The orange stainless variant is Sandvik 12C27 with a slightly lower hardness (56-58 HRC). The Bushcraft Survival, due to its intended use, has a bit larger dimensions that the standard Mora knives. Its blade is of 109 mm long, so it is not much longer than in the Mora Classic or Companion. At the same time, it equals by its width (23 mm) and thickness (32 mm) to one of the most rugged knife like Mora Robust. It is worth to mention that a spine has no rounded edges and you can strike the fire starter with it. The knife is the hidden tang design where tang reaches almost to the end of the hand (as it has resulted from a test with a magnet, more or less to the anti-slippery inserts in its rear part). It is the next prerequisite that enables to qualify this knife as a durable working tool. The hand has been made of ABS covered with the flexible rubber (black or orange). The aesthetic effect of this is, putting it mildly, not too interesting, and in such a sheath the Mora Bushcraft resembles more a tool in the butcher's shop than a multi-purpose knife of a woodland vagabond. Its mediocre appearance is fully compensated by ergonomics of the handle. It is not only incredibly adhesive to the hand, but also very convenient. Both using soft rubber with a gentle texture, and a profile of a grip with an explicit indentation under an index finger contributes to it. The subtle crimping, in particular at the spine, where a thumb usually rests, are a good solution, too. Nevertheless, this what makes this Mora knife more "bush craft & survival" than the others, is its scabbard. Rigid and plastic, enables to keep the knife very securely (I have managed to shake it out only after a few attempts, with a great swing). www.fragoutmag.com